Tiki
In
Religion
In traditions from the West Coast of the
In one story of Tiki among the many variants, Tiki was lonely and craved company. One day, seeing his reflection in a pool, he thought he had found a companion, and dived into the pool to seize it. The image shattered and Tiki was disappointed. He fell asleep and when he awoke he saw the reflection again. He covered the pool with earth and it gave birth to a woman. Tiki lived with her in serenity, until one day the woman was excited by an eel. Her excitement passed to Tiki and the first reproductive act resulted.[4]
Names and epithets
John White names several Tiki or perhaps manifestations of Tiki in Māori tradition:[1]: 142
- Tiki-tohua, the progenitor of birds[d]
- Tiki-kapakapa, the progenitor of fish and of a bird, the tui[e]
- Tiki-auaha, the progenitor of humanity
- Tiki-whakaeaea, the progenitor of the kūmara.
Elsewhere in Polynesia
The word appears as tiki in New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tuamotuan, and Marquesan; as tiʻi in Tahitian, and as kiʻi in Hawaiian. The word has not been recorded from the languages of Western Polynesia or in the Rapa Nui language.[7]
- In Hawaiian traditions the first man was Kumuhonua. He was made by Kāne, or by Kāne, Kū, and Lono. His body was made by mixing red earth with saliva. He was made in the shape of Kāne, who carried the earth from which the man was made from the four corners of the world. A woman was made from one of his ribs.[3]: 511 Kanaloa was watching when Kāne made the first man, and he too made a man, but could not bring him to life. Kanaloa then said to Kāne, “I will take your man, and he will die.” And so death came upon humankind.[3]: 151
- In Tahiti, Tiʻi was the first man, and was made from red earth. The first woman was Ivi, who was made from one of the bones (ivi) of Tiʻi.[3]: 151
- In the Marquesas Islands, there are various accounts. In one legend Atea and his wife created people. In another tradition Atanua and her father Atea brought forth humans.[3]: 151
- In the Cook Islands, traditions also vary. At Rarotonga, Tiki is the guardian of the entrance to Avaiki, the underworld. Offerings were made to him as gifts for the departing soul of someone who is dying. At Mangaia, Tiki is a woman, the sister of Veetini, the first person to die a natural death. The entrance to Avaiki (the underworld) is called ‘the chasm of Tiki’.[3]: 151
- According to Easter Island (Rapa Nui) legend, Hotu Matu'a, the first chief brought along a moʻai (other traditional sources mention two) symbolizing ancestors, which became the model for the large moʻai. Dr. Jo Anne van Tilburg of the Easter Island Statue Project at UCLA says that the first stone statues originated on Rapa Nui, although oral traditions do not support this. Others contend that the first statues originated in the Marquesas or the Austral Islands.[citation needed]
See also
- Hei-tiki, Māori neck pendants, often called tiki
- Moai, a monolithic human figure on Easter Island, sometimes erroneously called tiki
- Tiki culture, a 20th-century decorative style used in Polynesian-themed restaurants
- Taotao, similar carvings of ancestral and nature spirits in the Philippine islands
- Totem pole, artworks similar in shape and purpose from Cascadian cultures
- Chemamull, Mapuche statues
- .
Footnotes
- ^ Tūmatauenga, god of war, represents man, as does Tāne, whose name means 'man'.[citation needed]
- ^ John White attributes this version to Ngāti Hau.[1]
- ^ In this story, Tiki-tohua was an egg produced by Hine-ahu-one, a woman made by Tāne to be his wife. This egg gave rise to all the birds.[6]
- ^ Tiki-kapakapa (born after Tiki-tohua) was a girl who later took the name Hine-a-tauira. She and Tāne had a daughter named Hine-titamauri who was given to Tiki as his wife.[6]
References
- ^ a b c White, John (1887–1891). The Ancient History of the Maori. Wellington: Government Printer.
- ^ Orbell, M. (1998). The Concise Encyclopedia of Māori Myth and Legend. Christchurch: Canterbury University Press. p. 178.
- ^ ISBN 9781432664893. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- ^ a b Reed, A.W. (1963). Treasury of Maori Folklore. Wellington: A.H. & A.W. Reed. p. 52.
- ^ Hiroa, T.R. (Sir Peter Buck) (1974) [1949]. The Coming of the Maori (Second ed.). Wellington: Whitcombe and Tombs.
- ^ a b Shortland, E. (1882). Maori Religion and Mythology. London: Longman, Green. p. 22.
- ^ "Entries for TIKI .1 [CE] Carved human image". pollex.org.nz. Retrieved 2 March 2018.